Campaigners have been protesting outside their employer Actavo in Brigg today
it's over pay for scaffolders which Unite says is below the national average
Scaffolders employed by Actavo at British Steel in Scunthorpe have staged protests today over pay outside Actavo in Brigg.
Unite say the workers are being paid up to 15% below the agreed rate for the job under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry and have previously been on strike over the issue.
They'll begin continuous strike action again from Wednesday as part of a long running dispute from 2019
Unite is calling on both British Steel and Actavo to enter into negotiations with them
Dane Whittingham is a scaffolder – he says it’s causing him financial difficulty:
"We've come to the end of the three months just before Christmas and obviously been out of work at Christmas time with no money coming in - it's hard times especially when you've got a family and bills to pay and mortgages and things like that. But there's a lot of solidarity - we re-balloted for another strike period"
David Birchall is a scaffolder – he says the problems are getting worse:
"It's escalated into strike - we've done three months of strike before Christmas and then we're going into our second period of strike as well and it's definitely escalated - people are losing financially. We've had lads go find other jobs because they can't afford to continue"
Joe Rawling is from Unite the Union – he organised the protest:
"What's so infuriating is that we know that Actavo pay this rate on other sites. So we've got this crazy situation where you've got workers working together some of them earning 15% less than others. And we know how desperate times are with the cost of living, energy bills and all the rest of it"
A spokesperson for Actavo said:
"There have been numerous inaccurate reports in the media and online against Actavo on this matter since industrial action began on the 4th of October 2021. The company has made every effort to engage with Unite on the matter and continues to engage in good faith with Unite and is keen to work on negotiations towards an agreement
"While Unite is stating that the current situation is “breaking” the NAECI (National Agreement Engineering and Construction Industry) agreement, the fact is NAECI does not apply. We understand that Unite agreed the current rates on a localised collective bargaining basis. The hourly rate of circa £15 is, we believe, broadly on a par with the national average for scaffolding works in the steel-making sector.
"Actavo has a positive record of employee relations across its businesses in the UK, Ireland and elsewhere. It places employee safety at the top of its priorities, which includes multi award-winning health and safety processes."